Bits and Pieces
by Clearly Odd
Summary: A collection of short stories and drabbles.  Mainly Reid-centric with a lot of JJ/Reid.
1. The List

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of staring out on livejournal.  
Title: The List  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid  
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Summary: "Give me several good reasons as to why you won't marry me."

#1: Write about seven reasons to turn down a marriage proposal

"Do you want to get married?"

The question caught JJ so off guard that she laughed. She and Reid had simply been sitting around her apartment, talking and laughing, when the question just came out of the blue. However, when she saw that he looked a little hurt by her reaction, she stopped laughing. "Oh- you're serious?" She asked, sitting up fully on the couch.

Reid shrugged uncomfortably on the other end of the couch. "Well, I didn't really mean it the way it came out... it was a general question, not really a marriage proposal." He clarified.

"Why, you don't want to marry me?" JJ asked, feigning hurt and attempting not to smile.

"After the reaction I just got?" The other agent replied skeptically. "I'd be stupid to offer."

"No... you just caught me off guard is all."

"Okay, fine. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I just proposed to you." From previous conversations, Reid knew it was better to simply humor his girlfriend sometimes.

"Then, for the sake of argument, I think I'd have to refuse." JJ replied easily.

"What? Why?" Reid asked incredulously.

"I don't know... It just doesn't seem right." The young woman shrugged.

Reid frowned at her from across the couch and she could see the gears turning in his head. "Give me several good reasons as to you won't marry me." He said finally.

"What?" JJ asked with a surprised laugh. "_Several_?"

"Yes... say, seven." Reid replied seriously.

"Why seven? Spence, you didn't even really propose to me!"

"One reason isn't really a legitimate reason to decline a marriage proposal unless it's a large problem. Five is simply an over-used number, and 10 is too many. Seven seemed to be a good median. Anyway, I may not have actually proposed to you but I'm still curious as to why you refused."

JJ stared at the man sitting on her couch for a few moments, attempting to decide if he was actually asking her for seven reasons not to get married. Finally, she got up and headed for her desk. "Where are you going?" Reid asked, watching her walk across the room.

"Where do you think? I'm going to make you a list." She told him.

"You don't have to write them down..."

"If I don't, you'll just interrupt me while I'm talking." He opened his mouth to argue, but she spoke over him. "Don't even bother denying it, you and I both know it's true."

Hearing the teasing tone in her voice, Reid settled for a small frown in her direction and then sat back on the couch to wait for her list.

_1. Work__  
__2. We haven't been dating very long__  
__3. I'm not sure I want to get married__  
__4. Planning a wedding requires a ridiculous amount of effort__  
__5. You're a genius__  
__6. You didn't ask my parents__  
__7.___

"These are all terrible reasons." Reid said, glancing over JJ's shoulder as she scribbled on a legal pad.

"Spence!" JJ dropped her pen and nudged him with her elbow. "I'm not done yet."

"You're only missing one and the rest aren't good reasons. I believe I asked for _good_ reasons." He said, a smug edge on his voice as he sat down in the chair by her desk.

"These are good reasons to me." JJ resisted the urge to pout slightly.

"JJ, the only legitimate problem on there is the fact that you're not sure you want to get married." He pointed out gently.

"Well, work..."

"If we've made a relationship work this long, I don't think a marriage would be that much harder..." He looked pensive for a moment. "Speaking of which, how does dating for two years not count as being together for that long?"

"Some people are together for much longer before they decide to get married." The excuse sounded a little feeble, even to JJ.

"I think it depends on how long it takes a couple to be comfortable enough to take that step. Most people are, in fact, comfortable doing so after two or three years."

JJ scowled at him and he continued speaking. "If you don't want to plan a wedding, we could have a small one. I could certainly ask your parents if you wanted me to and... what is that supposed to mean?" Reid asked, pointing to number five.

Blushing slightly, JJ shrugged. "I don't know... I keep waiting for you to realize that you want someone as smart as you and not want to be with me anymore."

Reid's look was bordering on flabbergasted before he leaned forward and kissed her soundly. "I don't want someone like me... I want you. Maybe your IQ isn't as high as mine, but I really don't care. You're intelligent, too. You're intelligent and compassionate and beautiful and anything good I can think of..." He was blushing as compliments rolled off his tongue, embarrassed to be baring his heart in such a way, but he looked her in the eye the whole time.

JJ blushed as well and placed a kiss on his lips to silence the flow of speech. When the need for air became necessary, they broke apart and Reid spoke again. "What's the seventh?"

"Hm?" JJ asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I asked for seven reasons and I only got six." Reid reminded her.

The blonde looked undecided for a moment before she turned a mischievous look on her boyfriend. "You didn't get down on one knee..."  
-/-/-

A/N: Well, here it is. Prompt number one. I'm going to attempt to get through every single prompt on staring out, but considering there are an upwards of 500, I know that may not happen… we'll see. Anyway, I'll update as often as possible. Hope you guys enjoyed this first installment. A review would be wonderful if you fell like it!


	2. Pockets

Bits and Pieces

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

A/N: Hey, everyone! Here's the next chapter, sorry it's a little short… some of them will be that way, but I'll try to make up for it by updating frequently. Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who put this on their alerts and favorites!

-/-/-

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on Livejournal  
Title: Pockets  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid  
Genre: Romance  
Rating: K  
Summary: Romance makes everything magical- even your pockets.

#2: Imagine a coat. Imagine the pocket of that coat. Write about what's inside the pocket.

-/-/-

The December wind blew around two figures walking down the street; both slim and huddled against the gusts, one much taller than the other. The wind bit at the hands of the taller one, the man, whose gloves had been misplaced. Chapped hands slid into the deep pockets of a worn wool coat.

There it found various things that could only be referred to as pocket junk. A pen, a piece of gum, a candy wrapper and, for some reason the owner of the pocket cannot discern, a small handful of sand in both sides. Were the temperature more forgiving, the wearer of the coat probably would have pulled a pinch of the sand out to inspect. However, it was not and the hands remained in their sandy refuge.

The wind whispered around the shorter figure, the woman, but her hands were safely encased in warm gloves. She'd had the fortune of locating them before she left with the man. She brushed some of her blonde hair out of her face with her glove-clad fingers and watched the man shove his hands a little deeper into his pockets.

Slowly, she plucked at the fingers of one of her leather gloves and then pulled the whole thing off. She tucked it into her own pocket- free of junk, one might note. Her soft hand slipped into the man's pocket.

There it found pocket junk, sand, for some reason neither the woman nor the man could begin to speculate about, and a hand. A large, wind-chapped, strong hand. The smaller, softer hand wrapped around the larger hand as much as possible and interlocked fingers with it. The man, surprised by the sudden appearance of an extra hand in his pocket, paused mid-stride on the sidewalk. The woman, being the owner of the extra hand, walked on, her hand still in the man's pocket. With no other choice, the man began to walk again, leaning into the woman slightly and squeezing the surprise hand. The woman smiled and squeezed back. They walked on with a pocket full of wrappers, one pen, a small amount of sand, and two warm hands.

-/-/-

A/N: Isn't it weird when you find sand in the pockets of your winter coats? I have no idea how it gets there, but it's sneaky stuff.

Until next time, my fellow JJ/Reid-readers!


	3. Protector of Dreams

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on Livejournal  
Title: Protector of Dreams  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid  
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort  
Rating: T (maybe a little strong, but I'm jumpy)  
Summary: Jennifer Jareau was a protector, even when she slept, and certain genius sometimes requires her service.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: Sometimes when I dream, it feels like there's someone else in there with me.

-/-/-

Bad dreams are no strangers to the members of the BAU. Being as they spend their days thinking like the worst of humanity, it's really no surprise.

Spencer Reid managed to stave off the nightmares for a respectable amount of time, but eventually they found him, the same as everyone else. Sometimes he dreamed of his first kill- Phillip Dowd- or of his childhood. Sometimes his dreams included Owen Savage, Ryan Phillips and Nathan Harris. Sometimes he dreams that he is completely and utterly alone. And sometimes he dreams that he isn't.

These are the dreams that he hates and fears the most. They leave him with an unshakable feeling of violation; as if his dreams have literally been invaded. The one that happens most often involves a hunting shack in a graveyard in rural Georgia. He was never alone in that God-forsaken shack. Hankel was always there, in various states of mind. He was always there and always near him; touching him, beating him, choking him, drugging him. He was never alone, not ever.

He dreamt of the rough, cruel hands on his body; he dreamt he could really _feel_ them pressing against his skin. He could feel the presence of another person there with him and he hated it. But that was before JJ. Before she had asked him to dinner one night, before he had gotten brave enough to initiate a second date, before they had become a couple, before they began to share a bed.

Reid had always believed that JJ was a special person with the almost magical ability to calm people. It was the first time he had a nightmare by her side that he became truly convinced of her magical properties. In the throes of a nightmare, he could feel Tobias (Charles?) Hankel's hand in his hair, tugging his head back. He could feel the man's face close to his and- then he could feel a second set of hands winding around his waist. He wondered for a second if Tobias Hankel really had split into three people before he recognized the familiar feeling. The feeling of a friend's- a lover's- arms around his waist and hands on his chest.

This feeling was new; it was safe and grounding. Once again, he had the feeling that he was not alone... but the thought didn't scare him. It gave him comfort. He liked it. Slowly, night after night, the feeling of rough, cruel hands was replaced by the feeling of gentle but strong arms. Unsubs were replaced by a lover. The dismal shack was replaced by the bed he shared, and Hankel was replaced by JJ.

Sometimes, when Reid dreamed, it felt like there was someone else in there with him, and those were the dreams he looked forward to.

-/-/-

A/N: I really like the ending of this one… I hope you guys enjoyed, too! Thanks to everyone who is reviewing and adding this to their favorites and alerts, it means a lot to me.


	4. On the Inside

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on Livejournal  
Title: On the Inside  
Characters/Pairing: Reid, mentions of the team, gen  
Genre: Friendship-sorta  
Rating: FRC  
Summary: Reid has spent his entire life on the outside looking in, but he finally feels as though he is no longer an outsider.

Prompt: Almost any situation includes insiders and outsiders. Most human beings, no matter what their stations, consider themselves outsiders. Write about being an insider.

-/-/-

For most of his life, Spencer Reid was an outsider. Not an uncommon thing, perhaps, but not completely common because there had to be insiders too. There could be no distinction as to who was an outsider unless there were insiders. However, one had to figure that a person would eventually find a niche and cease to be an outsider. This was not the case with Spencer.

At the age of 10, Spencer stopped being an insider with even his own family. If one considered being an insider to have been accepted into a group of people for who you are, then one could consider being in a family to be 'inside.' When Spencer's father left and the rest of the family offered no help, he knew he was now an outsider as far as his family was concerned.

In school, there was no doubt that Spencer would never be accepted, not for who he was. He supposed when he got into college he could have pretended to be something he wasn't, but realized that wouldn't have made him an insider; he would have been an outsider with their foot in the door. He entered into many relationships of different kinds between the time his father left and the time he met Gideon. He held jobs, worked on projects with professors and fellow students, tutored classmates, joined clubs, even attempted a few romantic endeavors. None of those things made him feel as though he was an insider, though. He was necessary, an integral part of the relationship, but not accepted. When his usefulness was outlived, he was forgotten.

He supposed it was his own fault. Were he not such an oddball, he could have been more acceptable. Certainly, he couldn't help his intelligence quotient or his age, but he could have tried harder. He could have found something in common with people; found some less... strange interests, he finds himself thinking. At the same time, he doesn't particularly want to change. He _likes_ who he is, even if no else seems to, and he decides that will be enough for him.

Then he met Jason Gideon. He joined the FBI. He made it all the way to the BAU and once again entered into a relationship of necessity, this time with a whole team of people. But the more time he spent with Agents Gideon, Hotchner, Morgan, Greenaway, and Analyst Garcia, the more the feeling of being needed fell away and was replaced by the feeling of being _wanted_. Spencer had never been sure of that distinction, but he began to feel it.

When Elle left, his confidence took a blow. If she lifted away so easily, was it possible he could too? Were they all simply pretending to like- want- him? His feeling of security in his relationship with his team members waxed and waned from Emily Prentiss' appearance, to his kidnapping, Gideon's departure, and the addition of Rossi to the team.

But in the present, sitting with the team in a small restaurant after a successful case, Spencer had never felt less like an outsider in all his life. He can't believe he'd never noticed before. Swapping inside jokes and tales of cases and conquests, sharing thoughts and opinions; no one looks twice when he goes off on spiel, they simply let him go, nodding or even adding a comment here and there.

There's no feeling quite like that of total acceptance by people you care about, Spencer decides. It's a wonderful and terrifying feeling, odd in its juxtaposition, and Spencer has to admit- it was completely and totally worth the wait.

-/-/-

A/N: I apologize for my tardiness. I turned 17 today and I was celebrating, which, unfortunately, led to the neglect of posting a chapter. I also know they've been short lately, but then next one is longer! Thank you for your patience, reviews, alerts, and favorites!


	5. Past, Present, Future

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: Past, Present, Future  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid, het, AU  
Genre: General, Hurt-Comfort, Romance  
Rating: K+  
Summary: Reid finds a box of memories in storage.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: community. livejournal. com /staringout/2008/04/17/ (without the spaces)

-/-/-

"Hey, Spence, have you gone through the boxes in storage yet?" JJ asked, looking up from yet another box full of books.

Reid shook his head, placing the box he was carrying on the floor and pushing his hair out of his face. "No. I don't even know what's down there; most of it was already in boxes when I packed up the house in Vegas." He said, dropping onto the couch- one of the few pieces of furniture left in his apartment.

"Well maybe we should look at them. I don't think both of all our extra stuff is going to fit in the attic at the house." JJ replied, sitting down next to him.

The house to which JJ was referring was the small townhouse she and Reid had recently rented. After deciding it was finally time to move in together, they'd had trouble deciding whose apartment to move to. JJ's had more space, but Reid's was closer to work. In the end, considering both their leases were about to run out, they'd rented a townhouse to split the difference- more space, and closer to work.

"Considering the dimensions of the attic and the amount of space our combined spare items will take up..." Reid began to calculate before JJ cut him off.

"I really don't need the math, sweetie." She said, patting him on the knee tiredly.

"Right, sorry." He smiled slightly and placed his hand over hers.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before JJ spoke again. "Can you believe we're doing this?"

"Doing what, exactly?" Reid asked, glancing over at the blonde next to him.

"All of this," JJ cast a hand over the space filled with boxes before them. "Moving in together and everything."

"Well, I don't have much experience in matters like this, but it's my general understanding that people who are getting married usually look for a place to live together, being as husbands and wives tend to share households." Reid replied with a slight smirk, fiddling with the ring on JJ's finger.

JJ elbowed her fiancée gently in the side, but smiled anyway. "I know that, Spence. It's just- such a big step."

Reid hummed in agreement and the couple sat there for a moment longer before JJ stood up again. "Alright, I guess we should go down and see if there's anything down there you can bare to part with." She said, suddenly sounding more businesslike.

An hour later, JJ and Reid had sifted through most of the boxes in his allotted storage space in the basement of his apartment building. Most of the boxes were full of spare housewares: dishes and silverware, picture frames, blankets and sheets, cookware and so on. Reid let JJ decide which things out of those boxes they needed to keep and which they would be donating. There were boxes full of books and notebooks which belonged to Diana Reid. JJ had said that it was perfectly alright to keep them, citing sentimental value, and Reid was grateful. Much to JJ's delight, there was a box full of photo albums from before Reid's father had left and she insisted that they would be looking through them later. Finally, when they had sorted all the boxes into the obligatory "keep" and "donate" stacks, the two sat down on the floor for a moment to rest.

Casting a glance around the room, JJ caught sight of a small, neglected box in the corner. "Spence, we missed one." She pointed to the dusty box and called Reid's attention to it.

Reid regarded the box with some confusion before snatching up the box cutter they had been using to slice through tape. He made quick work of the sticky bonds and dragged the box back over to where JJ was sitting. He noted that the box was labeled with a single word in his mother's curvy handwriting- "memories". He flipped the cardboard flaps open and, after waving off the dust stirred by the action, looked into the box.

"What's in it?" JJ asked, joining him in looking into the cardboard recesses of the box.

"I don't know. I don't recognize any of these things." Reid replied, reaching into the box and pulling the top object out.

It was a blanket, old and worn; it had obviously seen years of use before his mother put it in the box. Under the blanket, there was a plethora of interesting items. The first he pulled out was a map with a route charted out on it. "Looks like you're not the only one in the family who likes maps." JJ said, running a finger along the marker line.

Reid gave a noncommittal noise and put the map beside the box. There were a few post cards scattered throughout the objects and he collected them and scanned over the first one with a slight frown. "What is it?" JJ asked, looking at the card in Reid's hand.

"Postcards," The other agent replied, flipping through the other cards quickly. "Most of them are from my mother to my father and vice versa."

He handed the cards off carelessly to JJ who read through them as well. "These are sweet." She said, glancing over at her lover. "Are you going to keep them?"

Shrugging, Reid pulled a small camera out of the box and inspected it, carefully avoiding JJ's eyes. "My mom traveled around for a year before she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She said she saw some amazing things. She and my dad wrote to each other during that time."

JJ was silent as she waited for him to gather his thoughts. "I... don't want those." He paused and looked over all the things he'd taken out of the box so far. "This can just go into storage."

He began to place objects back in the box before JJ placed a hand on his arm. "You don't want to keep anything in there? You didn't even look through all of it. Or don't you think maybe your mom might want this stuff?"

Reid shook his head. "No, she didn't like talking about her life before she got sick. The only way I know about it is from things she would say when she... wasn't lucid." He regarded the box rather sadly. "This whole thing would just upset her."

JJ could hear the sadness coming through in Reid's tone and draped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. One of his arms snaked around her waist and they sat there like that for a time, staring at the box. She could imagine how it would feel to find a box full of things someone close to her had done before they had been struck with a debilitating illness; it would have made her sad too. She was about to reach over and shut the box when something glinting in the light caught her attention. Reaching into the box, she pulled out an engraved brass fountain pen. "What's this?" She asked holding it up to Reid.

To her surprise, Reid smiled and took the pen from her. "I thought I'd lost this... I guess she just boxed it up." He said rather fondly. "It was the first fountain pen I ever had. My mom gave it to me when I was five."

JJ smiled as well, glad for the fond memory. "You should keep that." She said, shutting the box gently.

Reid nodded. "I think I will..." Whatever else he might have said was interrupted by JJ's phone.

They both recognized the ringtone and that it could only mean one thing- a case. "Jareau." She answered quickly. "Hey, Hotch... where?... Yeah, I'm with Reid... what time do you need us down there?... Okay... Yeah, see you then." She shut the phone and looked apologetically over at her fiancée.

"Where are we going?" Reid asked, standing up off the floor and helping JJ to do the same.

"Tennessee. There's a kidnapping case, we need to be at the airstrip in 45 minutes." The woman replied, brushing some dust out of her hair and moving towards the door. "We should go change."

Reid nodded again and left the room with JJ, pausing to lock the door behind himself. He looked at the fountain pen one last time before slipping the piece of his past into his pocket. He needed to concentrate on the present, he reminded himself, as he followed the woman that would be his future back up the stairs.

-/-/-

A/N: This is one of my favorites so far, if only because it's longer than the others… let me know what you think? Thanks for reading!


	6. Taste of Summer

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: Taste of Summer  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid, het, AU  
Genre: Romance  
Rating: FRT  
Summary: If there was anything Jennifer Jareau really liked about summer, it was how it tasted.

Prompt: Write about one of the five senses (related to the summer experience)  
* The smells of summer  
* The sights of summer  
* The sounds of summer  
* The touch of summer  
* The taste of summer

-/-/-

Jennifer Jareau was not a summer person. If you were to ask her, she would say autumn was her favorite season and there were only two reasons for suffering through summer. One was because fall was on the other side. The other was because, admittedly, summer tasted great.

Now, the rest of the senses of summer, she could have done without. Some people reveled in scent of fresh-cut grass and barbecue. JJ, on the other hand, knew that nothing rotted a body faster than summer heat and that _nothing_ she had come across smelled worse than a decomposing body. That information was something she could have done without, but such was the nature of her job.

Summer was a time, idealistically, filled with blue skies and fireworks and all those nice sights. Not that JJ didn't like those things, but once again, the experiences of her job got in the way. There was nothing like visiting dozens of different cities and getting to see how people dressed when it was too hot, apparently, to be decent. From people on the beach who really had no business wearing a bathing suit to people in un-air-conditioned apartments wearing nothing but shorts that covered entirely too little, JJ had enough of the sights of summer to last her the entire year by the time it was over.

As for the sounds, she really didn't mind the shrieks of children as they took advantage of the break from school and warm weather, but she did mind the shrieks of her drunken neighbors as they took advantage of the warm weather and stayed out on their patio drinking late into the night. Not to mention, of course, the blasts of fireworks that sounded a bit too much like gunshots for her liking. She liked fireworks on the fourth of July, but when the noise came late at night and invaded her dreams and turned them to nightmares, she didn't like them quite so much.

There wasn't much to be said for the feeling of summer. It was hot. Sometimes humid. So humid that you might feel like you were swimming through the air. Unpleasant, in JJ's book.

However, the taste of summer was something she could definitely get behind. There were the barbecues, first of all. Having grown up in a small town, there had never been a shortage of backyard-grilling neighbors inviting her family over for a bite. She still liked nothing more than a hot dog that had been grilled to the point it was almost charred but still edible, pressed into a bun and slathered in ketchup. Say what you like, but there was simply no better way to eat a hot dog. There was also something wonderful about coming in out of the heat and downing a glass of ice water. Nothing tasted sweeter after standing in 90 degree-plus weather than cool water. Well, maybe there was one thing…

One summer, a few months after she had begun dating Spencer Reid, the members of the BAU had decided to host a small backyard barbecue. It had been a joint effort on Garcia and, surprisingly, Reid's part. Garcia had everyone just about convinced when Reid chimed in with the fact that he had never attended a barbecue before and that had everyone on board in the end. Hotch and Rossi both grilled, though there was a good deal of bickering (not that either would admit to it) and Morgan had brought "Mama's Top-Secret Potato Salad" which was surprisingly tasty. Emily, who had brought a light cake, and Garcia- the barer of watermelon- fawned over and entertained Jack, who seemed quite pleased with the attention. JJ was sitting in a chair next to Reid, torn between going over to speak with the other two ladies of the BAU and staying by her boyfriend, who seemed rather lost.

He sat in the chair next to her, munching on a piece of watermelon and observing the activities. "Is this what a normal barbecue consists of?" He asked after swallowing the last of his fruity snack. "Cooking, conversation, argument and fawning over small children?"

JJ blinked, looking around the yard. "Well, I've never heard it summed up quite that way, but yeah, pretty much. If there are more kids then there's usually games too." She replied.

"Hm..." Reid hummed and lapsed into a pensive silence and JJ couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.

He looked somewhat silly, sitting there so completely out of his element. He wore jeans and a polo shirt, which wasn't as odd a thought to JJ as it used to be, as he sat in a lawn chair attempting to puzzle out a cook-out, completely oblivious to the small trickle of watermelon juice coming down from the corner of his lips. "Spence." She called his name so he turned to face her.

Before he had a chance to realize what she was doing, she leaned forward, licked away the small bit of juice and then claimed his mouth in a kiss. It was, almost surprisingly, the best taste of summer yet. The slight salty tang of sweat almost overpowered by the sweetness of the watermelon and some taste that seemed to be uniquely Reid danced across her tongue and she moved to deepen the kiss when the clearing of a throat broke her into her awareness. She pulled away from Reid and looked over to Garcia who glared at her but smiled nonetheless. "There is an impressionable child, may I remind you." She pointed to Jack, who didn't seem to have noticed JJ and Reid in the first place.

JJ simply smiled and settled back into her chair, casting a glance over at Reid, whose flushed face had little to do with the heat and she gave him a smile that held many promises.

No, from where she was sitting, summer tasted pretty good.

-/-/-

A/N: Huh... this is a lot longer than I thought it would be... I don't really know why I wrote it from JJ's perspective. It almost suits Reid better, but somehow JJ popped into my head and here we are... Hope you all enjoyed this latest installment! Thank you, by the way to everyone who has reviewed, and/or put this on their alerts and favorites!


	7. A Moment of Weakness

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: A Moment of Weakness  
Characters/Pairing: Spencer Reid, Diana Reid, gen/ slight mentions of JJ/Reid, het AU  
Genre: Family/Hurt/Comfort  
Rating: FRC  
Summary: Even after all these years, Spencer is still prone to a moment of weakness.

Prompt: "a minute of failure"

-/-/-

It was a beautiful day in Las Vegas, Nevada. Well, it was if you were in a nice, air conditioned building, anyway. The sky was a perfect blue, marred only by a few fluffy, if not somewhat stereotypical clouds. The sun was shining and the casinos were jingling their merry tunes of luck which was, really, just as good as bird song if you grew up there.

Because of all this, Spencer Reid wished he felt more cheerful. But he didn't. It may have been the fact that it was hot and he really wasn't in the mood for heat, or perhaps the fact that it was incredibly sunny and he'd forgotten his sunglasses back at the hotel. The most likely reason, though, was the fact that he was about to set foot in the Bennington Sanitarium.

Not that he _disliked_ visiting his mother exactly... he simply dreaded visiting her. Spencer loved his mother and always would, no matter what. He believed that was one of the privileges of family- unconditional love. Of course, if you were no longer a part of the family, not unlike a certain paternal figure, that was different... but also another story. Digression aside, Spencer dreaded his seldom visits to the sanitarium where he had committed his mother just over 10 years ago.

He dreaded one day becoming like her, though he was past the age of onset now. He dreaded the looks he got from the nurses and doctors there- pitying from those who knew the whole story and scornful from those who didn't. Most of all, he dreaded what kind of mindset his mother was in. Who would he be playing today? A student who had the pleasure of sitting in on one of Professor Reid's lectures? A random visitor who got to hear all about the adventures of Dr. Spencer Reid? Or- dared he hope- would he simply be Spencer, the son?

It had been so long now, Spencer was sure he knew how to fit in to any mood that she had. He no longer allowed himself to be taken in by her good moods because he knew she could change in an instant. He was no longer the 10-year-old boy who took each reality shift as a slap to the face. He could change to suit his mother's needs, be a chameleon, if you will.

So, when he walked into the day room where his mother sat in a chair by the window and waited, he braced himself for whoever he was going to be today. When his mother looked up, smiled and called "Spencer!" across the room, he smiled gently back and made his way over to her chair. "You look like you've gained some weight hopping around on those crutches." She noted with approval, tapping the side of his upper arm with her pen. "You're still too thin, though. How do you expect to provide for your lady friend if you can't even take care of yourself?"

Spencer blushed but smiled slightly at the mention of his girlfriend. "Mom, I don't need to_provide_ for JJ. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

Diana nodded. "I know that. But, occasionally, women like it if their men provide _something_ for them." She told him with a slight wink.

Blushing deeper, Spencer steered the conversation in a different direction. They talked about his life in Virginia his most recent "adventure." Diana talked about some new programs around the hospital and a new patient who she was teaching to read. By the time they had been talking for an hour, Spencer was feeling cheerful enough to match how the world looked outside. He excused himself to use the bathroom and left the room.

On his way back, he stopped by one of the large picture windows looking out into the garden. A few patients sat outside, but it was mostly too hot for anyone to enjoy the day. Despite that knowledge, Spencer found his outlook brightened a little more. It really was a gorgeous day, the sky was blue and filled with those lovely stereotypical clouds and it looked quite nice behind the green of the garden below. Whistling a tune he couldn't quite place, he returned to the day room.

His mother sat in her chair, scribbling away on her note pad, but looked up when he approached. She squinted at him for a moment before she spoke. "Are you here for the lecture? Because, if so, it won't be for another hour." She told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm just finishing putting my notes together."

And there it was. That familiar sting. That proverbial slap to the face he received whenever he forgot he wasn't at home speaking just to his mother, but in a mental institution speaking to one of the patients. "Actually, I'm here to see you, Mrs. Reid." He replied somewhat shakily.

Diana regarded him carefully. "Do you know Spencer?"

Spencer nodded. "I do, actually. I work with him."

"I don't remember meeting you. I went to where he worked once, you know. Are you a member of the government?" She asked suspiciously.

"No, ma'am." Spencer shook his head emphatically. "I'm a new addition to his team."

The conversation carried on and Spencer knew he couldn't stay long past this. Inwardly, he berated himself for his weakness. He was supposed to be past this. He thought forward to that night when he would make the phone call to JJ he promised to make every night while he was in Vegas. He wondered if he would be able to keep this moment of weakness from her, or if she would be able to tell- even if she wouldn't call it that. He wondered if she would know that, if only for a minute, he had failed.

-/-/-

A/N: I was going to write a totally different story today, but this came out instead... Poor Reid… Hope you guys are still enjoying, thanks so much to everyone who's put this on alert and favorites and those who've reviewed!


	8. Sweethearts

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: Sweethearts  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid, het AU  
Genre: Romance  
Rating: K+  
Summary: "I wonder what people think when they see us together?"  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: http:/ community. livejournal. com/ staringout/ # cutid1 (no spaces)

-/-/-

If you asked any member of the BAU, they would probably tell you that Armageddon was near, because they actually had an _entire_ weekend free. The weather was quite nice and two team members in particular were taking advantage of it. JJ and Reid walked down a sidewalk that led them past a picturesque park. The sun was shining and a breeze ruffled the trees slightly and there were laughing children and other couples walking down the street and Reid put out of mind how cliché the whole thing was and took JJ's hand in his own.

"This is probably the best Sunday we've had in a while." JJ noted quietly, a small smile on her lips.

"I don't know... what about that one two weeks ago when we went out for ice cream?" Reid pointed out.

"Spence... we were in South Carolina then; we'd just wrapped up a serial rapist case."

"If you rule out every day when we've just finished dealing with a rapist or murderer, you're never going to have a good day." Reid replied, a hint of humor in his voice.

JJ elbowed him gently but gave a small laugh as well. "Well, there have been no UnSubs today and it has been wonderful." She said, leaning into her companion.

Reid smiled in return and watched as another couple walked by. In his head, he couldn't help but profile them- just a little. They both looked content and though they weren't holding hands, they walked close to each other. Neither was speaking to the other, but the girl occasionally glanced at the boy. They were probably a relatively new couple and unsure of boundaries. Reid shook himself out of his reverie when he noticed the girl staring longingly at him and JJ. Or, more specifically, at their hands clasped between them. So she wanted the boy to hold her hand...

They walked on, but Reid's mind dwelt on the couple for a moment longer. "We make a bit of odd couple, don't we?" He asked JJ finally.

"Hm? What do you mean?" JJ asked, looking up at him.

"Well, look at us. The tall, skinny, awkward guy and the petite, gorgeous, graceful woman. Not exactly typical." He replied with a sort of smirk.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Well, at least you're not wearing a sweater vest today." She said sarcastically. "Seriously, Spence, you shouldn't worry about what other people think of us. If you're happy, and I'm happy, that's all that matters."

Unable to come up with much of an argument, Reid remained silent and they continued walking. "Y'know, now that you mention it... I do wonder what people think when they see us together..." JJ said after a minute.

Reid seemed to be thinking before he replied dryly, "That girl must be blind."

Laughing, JJ playfully smacked his shoulder. "I was thinking something more like... 'they're going to have beautiful children'." She said with a smirk.

Reid froze, looking slightly horrified and JJ burst out laughing. "I'm kidding, Spence." She giggled, tugging on his hand to start him walking again. "What brought this on, anyway?"

"I just wonder sometimes... I'm obviously very lucky to have someone like you, but I still don't see what you get out of this relationship."

"I get you." JJ replied easily before she stopped and turned to face Reid. "Spence, please don't ever doubt that I love you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Blushing slightly at JJ's confession, Reid smiled. "I love you too." He admitted quietly.

JJ smiled and took his hand again, walking on. "Besides," She continued. "I think we make a good couple."

The couple continued walking until they came to a car parked by the curb. It was rather unattractive and dirty- it probably hadn't been moved or cleaned in a while- and most people probably wouldn't have given it a second glance. However, for some reason not even she was sure of, JJ stopped and looked at for a moment. Just as Reid was about to ask what she was doing when she took her finger and drew a line in the dust. Reid stared at it for a minute before had drew another line to mirror hers. He looked to her for approval and she smiled and nodded. "See? I told you." She said as they moved further down the street.

There in the dirt and dust on the hood of the car was the outline of a heart. One side was curvy and feminine and the other was slightly straighter and more clinical; obviously drawn by two people. It was undeniably imperfect, but the feeling was there and that was really all that mattered to the impromptu artists.

-/-/-

A/N: Once again, I had a totally different story planned, but this came out instead. Seems to happen a lot, doesn't it? I hope this still makes sense without the picture as well. A review would be bliss, if you feel like it!


	9. Beauty

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: Beauty  
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Reid, het (AU)  
Genre: Romance  
Rating: T (references to sex, but nothing exactly explicit)  
Summary: To them, nothing was more beautiful than this moment.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: Write the longest, most beautiful sentence you can imagine - make it a whole page.

-/-/-

They had a very difficult morning so, really, it is the most perfect moment they could hope to imagine on a rainy afternoon as they lay beneath the sheets entangled with each other, and while they can't tell which one of them is which anymore, it doesn't really matter because at this point they have ceased to be 'Spencer' and 'Jennifer' and they now simply 'them' and 'they' and 'us' and so utterly happy because all they can really feel is one another, soft and smooth, rough and hard, angles and curves and the most wonderful sensations they have ever had the pleasure of experiencing with the scent of the combined 'them' heady in the air which is a pleasurable mixture of the pages of books and something floral and something that simply smells distinctly like one or both of them but they're too busy to care, really, becoming drunk on the taste of each other while their tongues are tantalized with the delicacy of sweat-slicked, salty-sweet flesh and the last vestiges of cop coffee left over from whatever god-awful case they had wrapped up earlier that morning which they really weren't thinking about in that moment because the glorious sounds of heavy breathing, faint moans and breathless encouragements is mingling with the sound of pattering rain on the window and there is a distinctly feminine "yes..." as soft and talented lips connect with a slender hip, but the sounds are really nothing compared to the sights of bare skin and the fact that he looks so very sexy and much more devious than usual as he leans down and nips at her collar bone and she looks something like a debauched angel, laying on the bed with her golden hair splayed about her head like a aura and her cheeks stained the healthy pink that comes with pleasure and really everything about that moment is just so perfect in its imperfection and so completely beautiful to the two participants that they really can't be bothered with anything else.

-/-/-

A/N: Okay, so that wasn't a whole page, but that was hard! Fun, though. It was 339 words...


	10. The Best Laid Plans

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: The Best Laid Plans  
Characters/Pairing: Reid, gen  
Genre: Drama/Suspense  
Rating: T  
Summary: In which Reid goes undercover as a prostitute, but things don't go as planned.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: Your character is being followed.

-/-/-

Spencer Reid could honestly not remember being this uncomfortable in a very long time, and that was saying something. There were no two ways about it, chance to go undercover or no, this was just downright awful. He resisted the urge to tug at the mesh shirt which just _had_ to be a size too small, despite the fact that Garcia had said it was _supposed_ to show his midriff.

Wiggling his hips a little in order to get the leather pants to sit higher on his waist, he remembered to put a little stumble in his step. He was supposed to be drunk, after all. Suddenly, he heard laughter in his ear. "_Pretty boy, what was that supposed to be?_" Morgan's voice came over the ear piece, no doubt referring to the trouser-lifting maneuver Spencer had just performed.

"Shut up," Spencer muttered quietly. "I don't see you out here stumbling the streets in the middle of the night in a pair of leather jeans and four-inch boots."

"_That's because it's not Saturday, Reid_." Spencer heard Emily's voice come laughingly over the ear piece.

Fighting down a small laugh, Spencer continued walking as best he could in a pair of knee-high boots with four-inch heels; those had taken some getting used to and he still wasn't entirely sure he wasn't going to trip and break his ankle. It didn't matter that Emily, JJ and Garcia had stepped back after they finished dressing him and declared him "sex on a stick" (whatever the hell_that_ meant), he felt absolutely ridiculous. There were few times he'd felt more exposed than he did right now, and it wasn't just the clothes.

Considering there really wasn't anywhere to stick a gun in his obscenely (uncomfortably) tight outfit, he was out walking the dark streets of Detroit, Michigan, alone, unarmed, and attempting to lure out a deranged killer. Sure, they were all deranged to some degree, but what this guy was doing to the men he captured really gave new meaning to the word. It was nice to know that some people still had creativity.

_I'm not alone_, Spencer reminded himself, tripping and leaning against the wall for a moment, _the team is watching me and they'll be on the UnSub as soon as he makes an appearance._

"_Nice touch, Reid_." Emily's voice came again.

"Actually, I just tripped." Spencer replied quietly as he continued weaving a path along the surprisingly deserted sidewalk.

There was a slight scuffling sound behind him and he willed himself not to turn around, but continue on his falsely-drunken way. "_Someone approaching you, Reid. Stay cool_." Morgan said, his voice serious once more.

Spencer's heart sped up and he checked himself so his pace didn't do the same. He continued his stumbling paces and occasionally brushed his hand along the brick wall for good measure (and to be sure he didn't fall and make himself _completely_ vulnerable). _Follow the plan,_ he repeated, over and over. _Follow the plan. We've been planning for days, this is going to go right. Follow the plan._

It didn't really help, of course, that the plan was to allow the UnSub to grab him. It had to be in a threatening manner, too, because otherwise the UnSub could simply claim he was trying to help an obviously drunken prostitute. Spencer could already hear the defensive tone in his head, _What, it's a crime to be a good Samaritan now?_ Yes, it would have to be obviously hostile in order to work.

He wasn't worried, though, he tried to convince himself. He had been training with Morgan for a while now and was surprisingly good at self defense techniques. Occasionally, he actually managed to surprise Morgan and knock him off his feet. The UnSub was profiled to be of average build, so Spencer was sure he would be fine. Everything would go smoothly. That was the plan.

"_Coming up behind you now_." One of the voices, Spencer really wasn't sure which, said in his ear.

The hairs on the back of Reid's neck stood up in only a way being followed could make them. He was sure he could feel the presence of the man behind him now. And he knew he could feel breath at the back of his shoulder, confirming that, at the height of roughly 6'5", he was taller than the UnSub. He felt the arm snake around his neck and pull him off his feet. Yes, this fit the profile. The UnSub would obstruct his airway long enough to cause him to pass out and then take him back to his 'workshop.'

Or he would've, if Spencer had actually been a drunken prostitute. Instead, he was a well-trained and fully sober FBI agent. However, before Spencer could put the 'fend off the UnSub until backup arrives' part of the plan into action, he felt the knife plunge into his skin.

There were no thoughts of 'he's devolving' or 'this doesn't fit the profile.' The only thing that crossed Spencer's mind was, absurdly, _the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry_...

-/-/-

A/N: That was rather fun to write... and if you can tell me that you didn't try to imagine Reid dressed in a mesh shirt, leather pants, and knee-high boots, I will bow to you, for you are made of stronger stuff than I ;)


	11. Date Number One

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: staring out on livejournal  
Title: Date Number One  
Characters/Rating: JJ/Reid, het, AU  
Genre: Humor/Romance/Friendship  
Rating: K+  
Summary: In which JJ and Reid go on a date that doesn't exactly go the way they'd hoped.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: "As first dates went, this was probably the worst one (s)he'd ever had."

-/-/-

JJ was trying to optimistic, she really was. She could tell Reid was trying so hard but, really... as first dates went, this was probably the worst one she'd ever had.

The high point of the evening had come when he'd picked her up for the game. He'd complimented her and she'd smiled and said she didn't know it was possible to look 'wonderful' in jeans and a sweatshirt. She'd also commented on the fact that he was wearing jeans and what appeared to be a sweatshirt from one of the many colleges that had courted him and he'd blushed. There had been conversation and smiling and it was really, taking JJ by surprise, quite normal. However, once they got to their seats, the normalcy had gone.

Reid had attempted to make sense of the game by looking at it from a mathematical standpoint, going on about strategy, but he soon lapsed into confused silence. When JJ asked what was wrong, he explained "I really don't understand why they're stopping so often... I read up on the basic rules of football and it seemed much simpler on paper."

JJ had laughed but stopped immediately when she saw the mortified look in his eye. She kindly tried to explain what was going on and while in the middle of fielding one of Reid's endless questions, she missed seeing the Redskins score. Reid spent the remainder of the 2nd quarter in tight-lipped silence.

Come halftime, he'd offered to buy some snacks. He came back with what looked like two of everything at the concession stand. "Hungry, Spence?" JJ had asked.

Reid had blushed again and haltingly explained that he wasn't sure what she wanted or how much she would want until, finally, JJ simply gave in and accepted half the food. They didn't end up eating a lot of it and when Reid shifted in his seat, he stuck his hand in a tray of nachos. They did, however, manage to get through the rest of the game without incident.

Once the game was over- well, that was another matter. The Redskins had lost and as defeated fans were trudging out of their seats, Reid had another attack of spectacular clumsiness and fell down a few flights of bleachers. Luckily, he'd been near the bottom at the time and, hey, at least he hadn't taken JJ down with him. He had a few bruises, but his wrist looked rather nasty. He insisted it was fine, even though he yelped in pain when JJ touched it.

They'd gotten to the car and started driving and though Reid kept offering they stop off at a diner he knew of, JJ finally managed to convince him to go to the emergency room for his wrist, which was quite swollen by that point and Reid looked to be in a fair amount of pain. They waited for 45 minutes with an ice pack before someone saw Reid, all the while Ried had apologized to JJ for further ruining the date and simply existing in general. The doctor discovered that Reid's wrist was broken and quite some time later, after Reid had been given some painkillers which made him a little drowsy (which was, evidently, doctor code for "will knock you out cold"), JJ had driven him home and taken a taxi back to her apartment.

-/-/-

The next day, JJ came in early and found Reid already at his desk. "Hey, Spence. How's your wrist?" She asked.

"It's been better. After that... nap I had yesterday, I decided to stick to Tylenol, but it's not doing much." Reid replied, ducking his head a little. "Thank you, by the way... for driving me home."

JJ smiled a little. "No problem. It was definitely the most... different end to a date I've had in a while. You're very friendly when you're half asleep."

"Oh, God... what did I say?" Reid asked with a grimace.

"Not much... you told me I was a _very_ nice person, that your hand still smelled like nacho cheese and the doctor had asked why, and then you started muttering about different types of cheese."

"Ah..." Reid nodded and looked away. "JJ... I'm really sorry about ruining the whole date. I- uh, I completely understand if you'd like to simply forget we ever went out..."

"Reid," JJ interrupted. "Honestly, that date was kind of a disaster."

Reid nodded and looked embarrassed, but JJ continued speaking. "But... it was nice to see you outside of work. You were a lot of fun when you weren't freaked out about messing up." Reid looked up, somewhat hopeful, and JJ smiled. "So, you're a scientist, right?"

"Well, I have a PhD in chemistry, but..." At the look on JJ's face, Reid shut up and nodded.

"Good. Then you should know that when something doesn't work, you just adjust the conditions and try again. We'll call Date Number One a failure, but would you care to be my partner for Date Number Two?"

Reid nodded again. "Yes, that sounds fantastic. Maybe... you should pick where to go, though."

JJ nodded in return and smiled. "Sure, I'll just keep in mind, no stairs and no nacho cheese and we should be fine."

-/-/-

A/N: Herm… not the best, I think, but it was fun to write. Hope you guys enjoyed!


	12. The Lost Photo

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of Staring Out on Livejournal  
Title: The Lost Photo  
Characters/Pairing: Random OC; JJ/Reid het AU  
Genre: Romance/General  
Rating: FRC  
Summary: In which JJ and Reid sell their house and the buyer finds a photograph.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: A new house owner discovers a photograph in the attic.

-/-/-

Laura hauled another box through the door in floor and up into the attic. Brushing her bangs out of her face, she realized she probably should have asked her friend to help her move this extra stuff up here- either that, or opted for a place closer to a gym. But this house had been absolutely perfect. Laura hoped to start a family; her fiancée was moving down to Virginia within a month and they would be married a few months from now. The couple from whom she had bought the house said that the house was perfect for starting a family. _And they would know..._ Laura thought to herself as she pushed the box back into a corner.

The people who'd sold her this house had to be the most gorgeous couple Laura had ever seen. They probably could have stepped right off the page of some catalog, save for the man's absolutely stereotypical geeky attire. They had beautiful little girl- maybe three or four years old, Laura guessed. The reason they were selling was because they needed a bigger space which to welcome a new member of the family into.

When she'd asked what they did for a living, she almost didn't believe them when they said they worked for the FBI. She expected the man, who was obviously some kind of genius, judging by the way he talked, to do something to do with teaching or science. The woman was also intelligent, she would have excelled at quite a lot of things, Laura was sure.

At any rate, they had been nice people and she'd gotten a good price for the house and she'd bid them good luck with the pregnancy not too long ago. The only thing left was to move all her stuff in to the house and wait for Brandon to come down so he could do the same. She brushed her hair out of her face again as she finished arranging the boxes and was about to go back downstairs when something caught her eye. On the floor, not far from where she was standing, was a piece of paper.

It looked like the back of a photo. All that was written on the back was _BAU, 2005_. The BAU was the part of the FBI the couple worked for, Laura remembered. When she flipped it over, she had to smile. It was a photo of seven smiling people.

On the far left, there was a well-built, dark skinned man who definitely looked like he belonged in the FBI. He was smiling and laughing though, as a woman with blonde hair and pink highlights who most certainly did not look like an FBI agent kissed him on the cheek. They could have been dating, but in this picture, they looked more like good friends goofing off. Next to them was a beautiful young woman who could have been Latina, and another, dark-haired man who also looked like a stereotypical FBI agent. He smiled at the camera, but it almost looked as though he didn't do so enough. Next in line was an older man, the oldest out of all of them, with a kind smile and eyes that had seen too much. However, in this instance he wasn't looking at the camera, but at the couple next to him. Laura almost didn't recognize the two people.

There at the right of the group was Spencer and Jennifer Reid, much younger. Jennifer's hair was longer and Spencer's was shorter and he looked a lot younger than Jennifer, even, but it was them. Laura doubted they were even dating yet, though. Spencer was blushing and grinning awkwardly, most likely due to the fact that Jennifer had tossed her arms around his shoulders for the picture. She was blushing a little too. It made Laura smile to see that, even years ago, they'd liked each other. Seeing the picture, she was happy they had ended up together.

Standing up and brushing the dust off her jeans, Laura laughed a little to herself. She was sitting in an attic pretending to be- what had the Reids said they did?- a profiler, that was it. She shook her head and decided she should probably just call the Reids and tell them she had a picture of theirs. She had probably been way off base, anyway.

-/-/-

Author's Note: Wow, it's been forever since I posted to this, and I'm very sorry! I had another big project to work on and I was sort of burned out when I finished it. Then of course, there's school and all sorts of other valid excuses… and some invalid ones, too. Anyway, I'm hoping to post a little more frequently now, but probably not as frequently as I did before. If there are any of you still out there, I hope you enjoyed!


	13. Another Perspective

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: Staring Out the Window on LiveJournal  
Title: Another Perspective  
Characters/Pairing: JJ, Reid, OCs; JJ/Reid  
Genre: Romance/Friendship  
Rating: FRT  
Summary: JJ's perception is changed after she overhears a conversation between two new agents. AU; no Will or Henry.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.

Prompt: Your character overhears something that changes his or her perceptions about the person doing the talking/being described. What does your character do with that information?

-/-/-

Jennifer Jareau settled down at one of the empty tables in the FBI commissary, and looked down on her lunch with more affection than she'd felt for a sub-par tuna sandwich in quite a long time. Perhaps the food wasn't the best, but it was nice to get out of her office and away from- well, everything, if only for half an hour. In fact, it felt so good that she was having trouble remembering why she didn't come down here more often.

"Hey, should we sit over there? She's by herself." A female voice from not to far away broke into JJ's consciousness.

A quick glance around informed JJ that the other woman had to be talking about her. "Don't you know who that is, Faye?" Another woman's voice asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"Who?" The woman apparently called Faye asked, her voice acquiring a hushed tone.

"She's in the BAU. In the top team." The second voice replied.

"Oh..." JJ could almost see the Faye person nodding knowingly.

"You know the agents on that team are all a little..." Now JJ imagined the second woman was making some sort of hand gesture to convey the weirdness she thought the BAU was made up of.

JJ took a bite of her sandwich and gave no sign she had heard the two women, likely junior agents, conversing. Now she remembered exactly why she at lunch in her office or out with another member of the team so often. Eating in the cafeteria was quite similar to high school and this time around, unlike in her first round of schooling, JJ was not very popular at all. None of the members of the BAU were, really. Deciding she wouldn't allow the gossipy girls to drive her away from her lunch, however, she picked up a chip and munched on it in a leisurely manner. "Come on, Lisa, not all the agents on the team are that bad," Faye was saying as she and her friend walked past JJ's table and sat down at the vacant one just ahead, still close enough for the liaison to just hear what was being said. "I mean, some of the guys are pretty cute."

They sat with their backs to JJ, and red-headed Faye nudged dark-haired Lisa with her elbow. JJ imagined a smirk on Faye's face, possibly accompanied by wiggling eyebrows. Lisa giggled quietly and nudged Faye back. "Oh, I know," She said, sounding more like a gossiping teenager by the minute. "I had a hand-to-hand class with that Agent Morgan... _So _hot!"

The eavesdropping liaison didn't bother to contain her eye roll as she took a sip of juice and another bite of sandwich. Of course Morgan, in all his Adonis-like glory was exempt from the BAU's status as an oddity. However, the less outgoing or noticeable members, like Reid, for instance, were sure to be included in these girls' gossip. "Mmhmm," Faye hummed an agreement around what sounded like a mouthful of lunch. "Or the other guy. Dr... Reid! That was it."

"The guy who guest lectured in class last week?" Lisa asked, sounding slightly confused as a fork disappeared in front of her head. "The guy you were basically drooling over the whole time?"

"I wasn't _drooling_... But yeah, him. _He_ was pretty cute." Faye nodded appreciatively.

"How would you even know what he looked like? Your eyes were glued to his ass during the whole lecture." Lisa teased.

JJ nearly inhaled a chip at the comment. Now, that was something she had neither expected nor wanted to hear. "Not the _whole_ lecture." Faye shook her head. "Just part of it."

The girls shared a small laugh while JJ attempted to finish her sandwich quickly before she heard anything else she probably didn't want to. "I mean, it was hard not to look at his face. He got so... enthusiastic about the whole thing, he was smiling..."

Lisa shook her head. "_Someone's_ hot for teacher..."

By this time, JJ had had enough listening and scooped up the remains of her lunch. She dumped them in the trash can and moved towards the door. Then, just as she was walking past the girls' table, she paused and turned to face them. "Faye, Lisa, may I offer you some advice?" She asked sweetly, not showing any pleasure at the shocked looks she received from the two junior agents.

Faye had enough presence of mind to nod. "I'm sure you'll do so much better in your courses if you don't spend your time lusting after your superiors." JJ told them, still sounding as though she was simply offering advice to a friend.

She stood there for a moment to appreciate the gaping looks she got from the two of them before she turned and headed out of the room.

-/-/-

JJ was relieved when she got back to the bullpen. Here, at least, things made sense. They saw terrible things on a daily basis, but at least no one was giggling about anyone else's rear end. Ready to get back to work, the blonde made her way up the catwalk and into her office. However, that was the real start of her troubles. As she walked through the door, she was met with the very thing she was attempting to get out of her head- Reid's ass. Less specifically, Reid was in her office bent at the waist and leaning on her desk, examining something closely. And of course he was facing at an angle away from the door. JJ had never considered herself particularly lecherous, but she simply couldn't help staring. He was just- there. If Reid had done this at any point during his lecture, for whatever reason, JJ wouldn't have blamed Faye for staring. Finally, she shook her head, insisting to herself that she was simply hyper-aware after hearing that conversation, and cleared her throat. "Spence, what are you doing?"

Reid jumped and spun around to face her, then relaxed slightly. "Hey, JJ." He greeted before turning and grabbing the folder he'd been examining.

"What are you looking at so closely in here?" JJ asked, holding her hand out for the file.

"This is the Riverton case you asked me to take a look at. There was a message written on the wall, but there are no good pictures of it. I came in to ask you if, maybe, it had been misplaced or something, but you were out to lunch." He shrugged sheepishly. "I guess I got a little caught up trying to figure out what it said in one of the other pictures."

JJ squinted briefly at the photo Reid had been inspecting, then shuffled through the rest of the pictures. "I know there was a better picture of this message..." She said, handing the folder back to Reid and walked around to the other side of her desk.

She looked around on the floor and spotted what she was looking for. "Ah! This must have fallen out of the file." She snatched it up and handed it to the genius. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine..." Reid murmured, already absorbed in the picture, his eyes glancing over the message several times.

The liaison found herself watching him as he chewed the message over in his mind, absently tapping his fingers on the edge of the photo. He really wasn't bad-looking at all... "cute," as Faye had put it. JJ had never really paid much mind to the physical attractiveness of her colleagues, the brief period when Reid had had a crush on her notwithstanding, but now that she looked, she rather liked what she saw. He was much different than when they'd gone to that football game six years ago. However, that didn't mean she was going spend the entire afternoon looking at him. "Reid..." She placed a hand on his arm to catch his attention.

The desired effect was reached when Reid blinked and frowned slightly, then looked at her. "Sorry, I was just... thinking..." JJ could almost see him getting sucked back into the world of crime photos, so she spoke again.

"What about?" She asked, looking at the photos as well.

"Well..." Reid looked undecided for a moment, before launching into an explanation. "Do you see these photos of the first two crime scenes? They're neat. He cleaned up and just left the bodies. But in the next one, he neglected to clean as well as in the previous scenes. Finally, in this most recent one, he not only failed to clean as well as before, but he left a message. He's trying to get attention and devolving while he's doing it. Unless he gets the attention he wants or someone catches him, he's going to keep devolving..."

JJ nodded as she listened and accepted the photo Reid handed her. "Do you think he'll speed up his cycle?" She asked.

"He's been decreasing his time slightly since he's began. If he continues at the rate he's been going, his next kill could be as soon as tomorrow."

The blonde considered this piece of information for a moment before looking up at Reid. "Go tell everyone to be in the round table room in 15 minutes."

Reid nodded and headed out of her office, leaving the folder with JJ. The liaison allowed herself to be distracted for a moment longer as she watched her coworker walk out before shaking herself into full work mode.

-/-/-

Exactly one week later, JJ was sitting in her office, having gotten back from the case two days ago. She was choosing to eat her lunch in her office this time, lest she overhear something else in the cafeteria that completely altered her perspective on a teammate. As it was, she was having enough trouble grappling with her perception of Reid. Since that day a week ago, she'd begun looking at him in a completely different light. It had started with physical attributes; butt, looks, hands, and so on. Before too long, it had switched to personality traits; the way his face really did light up when he got excited, the way he would give his all to a conversation with someone, the way he took special care to bring her coffee in the morning, since he'd found out they liked it the same way.

The real question was, what was she going to do about all of this? JJ was going to drive herself crazy if she just kept_watching_ the way she was. She was already catching herself staring and jumping when he looked up. She had to do something...

Coming to a decision, she stood up, abandoning her cup of yogurt, and walked out to the bullpen where Reid was eating his lunch, thankfully alone. "Hey, Spence." She greeted cheerfully, not betraying any of her nerves.

Reid quickly swallowed his mouthful of what looked like leftover pasta and looked away from the file he was pouring over. "Oh, hi JJ."

"I was wondering... are you doing anything for dinner tonight?"

-/-/-

Author's Note: Sorry for the ridiculosity of this one… it just had to be done, though…


	14. A Mother Knows

Bits and Pieces

Prompt courtesy of: **Staring Out** on livejournal  
Title: A Mother Knows  
Characters/Pairing: Young!Reid, Diana Reid, Gary Michaels  
Genre: Family/Drama  
Rating: FRT  
Summary: Spencer plays a game of chess with neighborly Mr. Michaels, but Diana has a bad feeling about it.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, or anything else copyrighted, for that matter.  
Spoiler: Episode 4.07, "Memoriam"

Prompt: Write about the first time you conversed with a stranger

-/-/-

Diana sat on a park bench, reading through her well-worn copy of one of Margery Kempe's works and watching Spencer play chess with one of the stone sets for public use. He would play a game or two through by himself and, in doing so, catch an adult player's eye. The adult would attempt to engage Spencer in conversation, but her son wasn't the sort to talk much with anyone he didn't know well. All the same, the adult would usually challenge Spencer to a game. Spencer usually won and the adult usually left after the first game. One stayed for a few rounds, refusing to believe he was being beaten by a four-year-old, but he left after the third game.

Every time this cycle began, Diana would put her book down in her lap and watch. Certainly, she liked to see her brilliant son beat people often over 20 years his senior, but she also wanted all those people to know that Spencer Reid was _her _son, and he was _not_ to messed with. Most of the players looked up at her before they sat down to play, as if to show her there was nothing malicious about their intentions. This satisfied her, and she let the people come and go as they pleased. Until _that_ man came over. The one that lived a block over. The one she had seen skulking around their street and the park quite a lot lately. "Hey, you're pretty good." She could hear him say as he smiled smarmilly down at Spencer, who looked innocently back up at him. "Mind if I play?"

As always, Spencer shook his head and began to reset the chess pieces. Diana glared at- at... oh, what was his name? Michael, or something... "I'm Gary, by the way." Gary Michaels, that was it! Diana glared at the man as he sat down facing her, but he avoided her gaze.

"Hello, Gary." Spencer replied politely, setting the last of Gary's pawns in a line.

"May I know who I'm playing against?" Michaels asked, never losing that slimy smile.

"I'm Spencer." The little boy said. "You can go first."

"It's very nice to meet you, Spencer." Michaels held out his hand, ignoring Spencer's second comment.

Spencer regarded the hand with slight confusion for a moment- most adults would just play, they didn't bother with niceties or names- but put out his own hand to shake, anyway. Michaels' smile grew wider and he hung on for just a moment longer than Diana really thought was appropriate. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Michaels still paid her no mind. "You get to go first." Spencer was saying again.

"Well, thank you, Spencer." Michaels practically _purred_. Diana did not like this one bit.

There was something terribly off about this man, she could just feel it. She was beginning to feel rather antsy sitting on the bench. She had the sudden need to get Spencer away from that man. She wanted to scoop her little boy up in her arms and take him far away from this park and the creepy individual sitting in front of him, as far away as possible. But still, there was little harm in a chess game, Diana thought. As long as the man wasn't doing anything wrong, she supposed she could let them finish. Spencer was always upset when he wasn't able to finish a game.

As the game went on, it became apparent that this Michaels was not a chess player at all. It was over quickly, ending predictably with a win for Spencer. "Well, I guess I'm beaten." Michaels shrugged good-naturedly. He stood up and came closer to Spencer, just about making Diana jump. Suddenly her mind was on what had happened to Riley, on how distraught Lou had been, on the funeral they had attended only a little over a week ago...

"You a play a good game, Spencer. Maybe we can play again sometime." Michaels placed his hand on Spencer's shoulder for a moment, then rubbed the boy's back as he spoke.

_That_ was it. That man was not going to _touch_ her son. In fact, he was never going _near_ Spencer again, not if Diana had anything to say about it. She picked up her book and marched the short distance over to the chess table. When Michaels saw her coming, he immediately took his hand away from Spencer's back and took a step backwards. Diana didn't bother with formalities or explanations, she simply snatched Spencer up from the stone stool he was sitting on and balanced him on her hip. He was getting a little big for her to do so by now, but she didn't care. She glared right into Michaels eyes as she did so, before turning and walking off into the direction of the house.

After a moment, Spencer's voice made it's way into her consciousness. "Mommy, what's wrong?" He was asking, shifting uncomfortably as she held him protectively tight against herself.

Diana sighed and loosened her grip on him. "It's time to go home, Spencer." She said quietly, casting a glance over her shoulder and seeing that Michaels was gone.

She wasn't sure, exactly, what sort of feeling she was getting about that man, but she didn't like it. She didn't want to be near him anymore and she certainly didn't want Spencer near him anymore. She'd have to have a talk with William about it. And perhaps she'd have a word with Lou while she was at it...


End file.
